
Christ: Transformer of Men
LESSON 9
❑
Thursday
Part 5
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
ABIDING IN CHRIST fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do
nothing."
"Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much
John 15:4, 5, 8 fruit; so shall ye be My disciples."
Paul warns against hindering the work of the Holy Spirit
in effecting a transformation of the life to conformity with
God's perfect will. Eph. 4:30. Christ here deals with the positive
aspect of the process of Christian transformation, under the
illustration of a branch remaining attached to the grapevine
out of which it grew and of which it is part. Everything de-
pends on maintaining that vital connection, or it will wither
and die. Unless a branch is nourished by the life-giving sub-
stances the vine provides, it is lifeless and fruitless.
The objective of the vinedresser in tending his vines is fruit;
the objective of Christ's solicitous care for us is the fruit of a
character that will be an honor to Him as Owner of the vine-
yard. It is the purpose of the heavenly Vinedresser to demon-
strate that His vines and His method of care are superior in
every way to all other vine stock and methods of culture. Under
His care every branch will produce prizewinning clusters of
grapes for exhibition on the great day of eternal awards.
In His metaphor making Himself the vine and His
disciples the branches, what aspects of the branch-vine
relationship does Christ specifically mention?
THINK IT THROUGH
Mention at least three ways in which the vine con-
tributes to the ability of the branches to bear choice fruit.
How does a person "abide" in Christ? How can I tell
whether I am abiding in Christ?
"The sap of the vine, ascending from
the root, is diffused to the branches,
sustaining growth and producing blos-
soms and fruit. So the life-giving power
of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the
Saviour, pervades the soul, renews the
motives and affections, and brings even
the thoughts into obedience to the will
of God, enabling the receiver to bear
the precious fruit of holy deeds."—"The
Acts of the Apostles," page 284.
"The connection of the branch with
the vine, He said, represents the rela-
tion you are to sustain to Me. The scion
is engrafted into the living vine, and
fiber by fiber, vein by vein, it grows
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into the vine stock. The life of the vine
becomes the life of the branch. So the
soul dead in trespasses and sins re-
ceives life through connection with
Christ.. . . The sinner unites his weak-
ness to Christ's strength, his emptiness
to Christ's fullness, his frailty to Christ's
enduring might. Then he has the mind
of Christ. The humanity of Christ has
touched our humanity, and our human-
ity has touched divinity. Thus through
the agency of the Holy, Spirit man be-
comes a partaker of the divine nature.
He is accepted in the Beloved."—"The
Desire of Ages," page 675.